Starting New
by abbizilla
Summary: She had lost everything to just gain it back again but does meeting the team mean she has more to lose this time.
1. The Beginning

_** Hi, I'm back! I know it has been forever and a day. I understand if you are a bit mad that this story has been incomplete for the past 3 years, but like on many instances life happened. First off I want to thank every single one of you for reading, reviewing, favoring, and following this story! Next I know there is no need for an explanation, but I want my readers to understand why this story has been on the backburner for so long and why I'm finally writing again. **_

_** I began this story my senior year of high school (wow that was 3 years ago) because of the joy I got from reading fanfiction and writing. As time went on I became busy with finishing up high school and writing became harder and harder to do. Before I knew it I was starting college and with the whirlwind of new experiences and college life I barely had time to write much less think of where this story was going. In the years that passed I had to balance a job, a man, and finding what I wanted to do with my life on top of school. Not that I'm complaining ;). I know a lot of you are probably thinking: Why did she post the story before even finishing it? What can I say, I was a young impressionable girl that found the lure of fanfiction and having people reading my story too overpowering. Every so often an urge to write would occur which lead to the sporadic posting of chapters within those couple of years. **_

_** Now to the present-day, it seems as if everything has settled down. I found a job, a major, and a man that I absolutely love. In the last couple of months I have found that I have a lot more time than what I used to. With all this free time I have decided to finish what I have started, which is Starting New. I will be rewriting the chapters adding some things in and taking away others. I have taken all the chapters down and will be reposting them after revision. I would advise you to reread them because there will be a lot of things changing.**_

_** I look forward to hearing from you all. I hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

_A young girl sat on the front steps of James Campbell Elementary School her Barbie backpack along side of her. The sight would not be so unnerving on that particularly sunny afternoon had it not been for the fact that the school had been empty for the last hour. The yellow sundress she wore was now crumpled from sitting too long. Her pigtails swung from side to side as she gazed up and down the street looking for the bright red of her mother's car to come rolling through. The tears in her eyes were tempting to fall although this was not the first time for something like this to happen. Her mother had been late occasionally, but never this late. Whenever that would happen the school attendant, who stayed and watched the kids being picked up would call her mommy or daddy. On those days her mother and father would fight the most when they thought she was sleeping. Today the little girl had sneaked behind one of the bushes near the steps when the attendant wasn't looking. She didn't want her mom and dad to fight anymore, so she decided that she was big enough to wait on her own until her mommy came. _

_ The sound of an engine approaching caught her ear. She quickly spun her head in the direction of the car. It was not the bright red color of her mother's car, but the dark grey of her daddy's truck that came into focus. A large grin spread across her face as she hopped up, brushed off her dress, and reached for her backpack. Her tears were quickly forgotten. The truck stopped in front of the school. A tall balding man quickly jumped out of the truck a look of relief passing his face as his daughter came into his sights. Disregarding the open car door and the rumble of the engine still on he raced over to where his daughter stood._

_ "Oh, baby girl." The man sighed falling to his knees in front of her and grabbing her into a tight hug. _

_ "Hi, daddy!" The little girl erupted. Not only was she happy that she didn't have to wait any longer, but to receive such a big greeting from her daddy was what she needed. _

_ "I'm so sorry baby, so sorry." The anguished filled apologies muffled as he buried his head onto the little girls neck. _

_ "It's okay daddy. Where's mommy?" The little girl accepted oblivious to the implication of it all._

_ The man froze as pain shot through him knowing his little girl was oblivious to everything that had happened earlier that day. That he had only by chance discovered that his wife of almost 6 years had not just abandoned him but their daughter too. He had received a phone call from their nosey neighbor Ms. Greene describing his wife packing up her car and driving away. He remembered how his heart froze at that moment. He had once loved his wife, but tolerating her was as much as he could give. Ms. Greene had asked if she could have the ferns from the front porch assuming that the family was moving away not knowing that it was being broken. He had rushed home scared that his wife had taken their daughter, the only person he loved in the world. Finding that their daughters room was untouched he ran back to his truck praying for once that his wife had forgotten her at school. _

_ "Don't worry about that right now." His words filtered through the gravel in his throat. Pulling away from his daughter he held her in his outstretched arms. He knew his wife never wanted children, but he thought they could work things out. He assumed wrong. "It's just going to me and you from now on okay?" His words reaching her as he looked her in the eyes. _

_ "But, wha-"_

_ "No, honey. It's just you and me. That's it. We don't need anyone else, but us. I love you Jasmine."_

_ "I love you too, daddy."_

* * *

The LA sun felt so good against my skin, hot, almost to the point of discomfort. I didn't mind it though. After three years in the icebox state of Washington this was paradise. Heck this place was my new home. I had better learn to love the sun, if I didn't.

LA was new and exciting with so much opportunities that an 18 year old girl with a small fortune could fulfill. Gosh, it sounds like I'm a snotty blonde, whose daddy bought her everything she ever wanted and more. No, I'm far from that, first of all I am not blonde. Not that there is anything wrong with golden locks. It's just that I have thick wavy chocolate brown hair that goes down to the middle of my back. I loved my hair. It was the only part of my physical appearance that I found was a truly beautiful. My nose was too rounded, my forehead a bit too large, and I was pretty sure one of my eyes was more slanted than the other. And that is just my face. I found faults in my body shape and height too. Although I did have a nice rack, I had wide hips with thick thighs to match. I had always been self-conscious with my height. At 5'7 I towered above many of the other girls in my high school making me feel like a fat assed giant more than anything else.

As for the money, yes I got that from my daddy. But if I could choose I would rather have him back than the fortune he left me. My mother ran away with some hotshot businessman when I was 5. My dad died when I was 15 from a heart attack. Leaving me in the custody of the only relative I had left in the world: my dad's sister.

Aunt Ruth was not the best person to end up with. She was ruthless when it came to putting someone down and most of the time it was directed at me. I had learned to keep my heart locked up in a metal fortress. Between the things she would say, a mother that abandoned me, and a father that had recently passed away, my internal turmoil was off the charts. I found it best to lock up my feelings never letting anyone in. I kept to myself. Yes, I had friends, but not many. It seems that in those three years I drifted from going to school, to work, to home, and most of all avoiding dearest Aunt Ruth all together.

I did try to get away from her. I would not say I was a genius, but I was gifted. I knew the harder I threw myself into academics the closer I would be to freedom. I advanced in my classes quickly. I even managed to get some college courses under my belt. That was not enough in the end. I didn't have enough credits to graduate high school at such a young age and even if I did I had no money to support myself.

So, I stayed for three fucking years. Three years of being verbally assaulted and mentally exhausted. Three years of hell. That all changed with a knock on a door a few days before my high school graduation.

* * *

_ Music blared throughout the small room as a teenage girl danced amongst the few furniture within it. The fast beat of the music causing her to shake her hips as she flung clothes from a nearly empty closet to a large duffel bag resting on a nearby bed. Her brown hair danced with her as she moved around the room picking up objects and placing them on the bed. _

_ A faint pounding over the music caused her to freeze. A frown formed on her face as she moved to the stereo lowering the volume down. As soon as she did that the pounding was not so faint anymore. She moved quickly towards the front of the house where the source of the noise was coming from. The front door seemed to be shaking from the pounding still coming behind it. _

_ The girl flung the door open causing it to slam against the wall. All was quiet as she glared at the stranger, who had interrupted her so rudely. The look of shock passed through the face of the man who was responsible for the pounding; his arm still awkwardly suspended in the air. She gave him a once over starting at his shining loafers, going to his crisp expensive looking suit, and up to his distinguished face topped with greying hair. _

_ "What?" She snapped. The attitude rolling off her stunned the man momentarily, but he quickly collected himself. He cleared his throat as he straightened up and dropped his arm._

_ "Hello, miss you must be Jasmine Sumers. I am Charles McMicheals. Do you have a minute?" The man perplexed her. What would a tight-laced chump be doing in this area looking for her? The man noticed her pause._

_ "Oh, how rude of me. You're probably wondering why I am here. I need to talk to you about your father. I am a lawyer from Townsends & McCloud, the firm your father hired to take care of his affairs. Sadly, the lawyer in charge of his case passed not so long ago. I was left with all of his work. I was just recently notified that you had turned 18. If so we must get some things in order." At the mention of her father Jasmine grew anxious to hear what this man had to say. _

_ "Sure. Come on in." Jasmine moved aside allowing the man to enter her eyes never softening as she watched the man closely. She closed the door after him and led him towards the small living area. She sat herself onto a recliner directing the lawyer to the loveseat across from her. The young girl never spoke a word as he sat awkwardly onto the loveseat placing his briefcase on the coffee table in front of him._

_ " were you aware that your father left you all his assets and you will be the sole recipient for his life insurance policy?" asked as his eyes skimmed a large amount of papers he pulled out from his briefcase not once looking up at her. _

_ "I knew he left me some money, but I never knew how much." Jasmine stated briskly, curious to what this man wanted. At her statement Mr. McMicheals looked up from the papers and to her. _

_ "Ms. Sumers your fathers life insurance in itself will make sure you never have to lift a finger again, if you call that 'some money' in addition to the assets he had." He stated quite frankly._

_ "So, what you're saying is that…" Jasmine paused as Mr. McMicheals words rolled through her head._

_ "What I am saying is that you have just inherited quite a bit of money now that you are 18." Anger coursed through Jasmine. Her brain could not process that the money could be hers. This man must have been trying to pull a once over on her. _

_ "Cut the bullshit." She seethed. "Now if you're done playing games. Get the fuck out of my house." Jasmine stood abruptly from her seat throwing her arm up and pointing towards the door. Mr. McMicheals was startled by her outburst. Usually in inheritance cases the recipients yelled at him for receiving so little money not for getting so much. _

_ "Ms. Sumers I must ask you to settle down. I would never do such a thing and lie to you. If you would look here." He pointed towards the papers on the coffee table. "You would see that all of this is legitimate."_

_ "Why did I not know about all of this?" Jasmine asked skeptically still not convinced._

_ "Like I said, the previous lawyer that was handling your case recently passed and to be honest he wasn't in the best of places in his later years." _

_ "This is all true then?" Jasmine asked grabbing the papers on the table and sitting back down. _

_ "Yes, Miss. Now if we start the paperwork today I can have it processed by the end of the week. You could have your inheritance in a month or two._

_ Jasmine sat dumbfounded looking at the paperwork in her hands. Tears streamed down her face convinced that even in his death her father was still taking care of her._

* * *

It's strange how quickly things can change. After graduation I left Aunt Ruth's house with no resistance from her and stayed with some friends until my inheritance came in. In that time I thought of what I would do once I had the money. I knew I wanted to get out of Washington and start somewhere new. I needed somewhere with a lot of sun, but was not too far from the west coast. I had to be honest with myself though. I was too scared to put so much distance between Washington and myself. On top of that I had to be smart with my money. I knew it would not last forever. I did my research online and found someforeclosures online in California. They were all beautiful, but one stuck out the most. It was in a decent neighborhood and was close to a major city without being in the city itself. I wanted to settle down before I decided if I wanted to go to college or if I wanted to go straight to work. I wanted to find myself. I wanted to be happy.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed! How did you like it? Jas and the story are a bit ****different. Please review and let me know.**


	2. The Encounter

The deep powerful roar of an engine caused me to moan in pleasure. The sound mixed with the knowledge that the engine belonged to me gave me great satisfaction. I had been careful with the money I inherited, though I did make some splurges. I bought the home in California, along with some necessary furniture, and my dream car of course. A cherry red Chevy Bronco that was well taken care of by its previous owner. It may sound ridiculous to buy a gas-guzzler like the Bronco in LA, but I could not help myself. The car was screaming out my name when I found it online.

I crossed the Oregon California border a couple of hours ago.

"Turn left in 200 feet." A woman's voice chirped out at me.

I hit the steering wheel in frustration. The heat of the LA sun, although nice was getting to me. To add to that, I had been driving around in circles having no clue where the hell I was going. The GPS that had been directing me to turn left for the past 10 minutes was causing my temper to rise.

"Turn left in 200 feet."

I grabbed the damn dysfunctional electronic and threw it out the window. The impact of the GPS onto the hard street gave me a smug gratification. Although my Bronco could probably take it if I snapped and went off the grid and onto unsuspecting lawns, ruining the paint job would cause me more ire.

"Friiiiiick." I moaned along with the rumble of my stomach I had been ignoring for the past 20 minutes. It would have been smart of me to pull over at a gas station 30 minutes ago and ask for directions, but I was too stubborn. This road trip had been my first act as an actual adult and failing to find my home would mean being a failure as an adult from the get go. To ask for help would mean admitting defeat. It would mean I could not make it on my own.

'I will make it on my own' the thought crossed through my mind as I remembered my father and how he always stood strong.

I had been driving down back streets sprinkled with family businesses and local stores. I was determined to find food for my obnoxiously loud stomach and take the time to download a navigation app on my phone that would hopefully work better than the previous one. It was then that my eyes fell onto the most beautiful sight I had seen since I had entered the area. Further down a side street in front of what looked like a small diner was a collection of striking automotive machines. My slight distraction caused me to swerve dangerously close to the opposite lane earning a horn and a finger from the driver of a blue Altima. Whoops.

I parked across the street and eyed the diner behind the lucrative cars that caught my attention. I debated if I should eat there. A dirty sign declared the diner Torettos. The diner itself looked to have a small convenient store connected to it and the shabby appearance of it all made me think twice about the food. The lure of the cars pulled me into them. The possibility of getting food poisoning lost out to the chance of getting a closer look.

My white tank and faded jeans reflected distortedly from the pristine paintjobs of the racecars. I attempted to "casually" walk by the cars making sure to take my time when passing them. The array of colors coming from the cars reflected off each other like little rainbows. I smiled as my eyes rolled over each of them, a white Jetta, a light blue Acura Integra, yellow Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, a dark blue Nissan Maxima and a red Mazda RX-7 all within arms reach. I was not much of a car enthusiast, but I could appreciate fine work of machinery if I saw one.

I stood in the entrance of the building as my eyes adjusted from the blaring bright sun to the open shaded diner. Just as I had thought, the place was dingy. Although at a closer inspection the place was clean, no dust, no funky smell, thank God. The old building along with the decades old equipment led outsiders to believe that the place was a dump. I pulled out my phone from my back pocket, the screen flashing 2:16. I sat at one of the many stools at the counter and looked around for a worker. I was greeted with nothing, but air. A bit irritated I slumped into my stool and pulled out my phone once more. There were many navigation apps available leaving me to pick the best free one while I waited for someone.

"Hey" a feminine voice startled me from behind. A small scream escaped my throat as I whipped my head towards the voice. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

In the moment of stunned awkwardness I gave the woman a once over. Her long brown hair fell perfectly straight framing her high cheekbones and thin face. Her sun kissed skin glowed adding to her exotic Latin, maybe Italian, looks.

"It's, uh, it's alright." I stuttered.

"Great, what can I get you?" She asked heading behind the counter and pulling on an apron. The fact that this beautiful model worked in this dingy hole in the wall diner sent my mind reeling. It was beyond gorgeous girls like her that put my high school career through complete hell. No, I wasn't bullied per say, but I wasn't welcomed with open arms into the "it" group either.

"Uh, do you have any BLT's?"

"Yes we do." She smiled, her teeth perfectly straight and unnaturally white.

"Alright, I'll take that with a root beer." I said politely turning my eyes down, not wanting to be caught in the reflection of the sun from her teeth.

"You want any fries with that?" The irony in that question alone had me stifling down a grin.

"Nah, the sandwich and the drink are fine." I try to play down the joy from my voice.

While the woman is off getting my food and drink I check my phone again. The new app I picked had finished downloading. I opened it up and entered the address of my house. The app was basic enough and the map on it showed that I was not too far off from my home. It didn't take long before I had a drink and plate of food in front of me. Surprised I looked up to the beauty smiling down at me.

"So, what brings you around here? I've never seen you before."

"I'm new in town, actually." I keep it short and sweet. I took a bite out of the sandwich. I swear my stomach sang out to the gods in joy.

"How long have you been here?"

"Awhile now." It was a half truth, awhile can be anything really: a couple hours, days, months; anyway she didn't need to know the details. I learned from many crime movies to keep the details to a minimum. You never knew when you were talking to a member of a crime ring just waiting to find innocent people to dupe and kill off. I was never one to open up to strangers either.

"Cool." She nodded her head while cleaning off the counter. "Are you here with family or trying to make it out on your own?" At those words red flags shot up into the air.

"I'm-"I began another half-truth, but was interrupted by loud hooting and stomping feet. The reaction from the woman showed that this was a common occurance. Her eye roll and huff of annoyance sent enough of a message.

She moved towards the end of the counter towards the back of the store and yelled out "You boys better not be reenacting Scarface back there, again!"

I was sure my face scrunched up on confusion and a bit of fear. Between the deserted diner, her in depth questioning, and her reference to a movie very high on the crime list my body was preparing itself for the fight or flight instincts. I was not much of a fighter, so I leaned towards the flight.

_ Boom!_

I jumped about a mile high, as once again I was spooked. I nearly gave myself whiplash turning towards the backdoor. Three men stood where the sound came from. I would have fled for my life at this point had it not been for the fact that these men were laughing at each other and not glaring me down menacingly with sharp objects in their hands.

The men were too busy rough housing each other to notice me, so I blatantly checked all of them out. The first man I saw seemed to be about 20, dirty blonde hair under what looked like a very much used navy blue beanie that helped make his blue eyes pop. He was about my height maybe an inch taller, lanky in build, wearing a white sleeveless shirt with baggy denim jeans. He had a kind face, but looked a bit like a user with his twitchy hands and shifty eyes. Next to him was a well built man with gelled brown hair, a little older than the first, maybe, and storm blue eyes. A toothpick hung precariously in the corner of his mouth. He wore a loose fitting basketball jersey and baggy pants. The tattoos on his arms went well with his well-defined muscles. Confidence exuded from him flashing 'Player' in big fancy lights above his head.

A scruffy looking man, who looked to be in his late 20s, pulled beanie boy into a headlock at that moment earning a grunt from the young man and my full attention. He had thick curling brown hair and a slight beard and mustache. His muscles ripped through his tight black shirt. Now this was my kind of man. His caveman looks and rough appearance made the teenager in me scream out. To top off his rugged good looks his arms were covered in tattoos. What seemed to be some scarring on one arm added to his 'bad boy' charm.

The icing on the cake was that they were all covered in grease stains and muck. The look of hard work and sweat visible on their body. I smiled to myself knowing that these men would be starring in many of fantasies to come.

My heart skipped a beat when a figure appeared at the threshold of the backdoor. The muscles of his arms rippled as he leaned against the threshold. My eyes followed his arms to a defined chest, visible from underneath a black wife beater. My gaze moved up towards his full lips and white teeth, deep brown eyes, and a shaved head. His whole body took up the entire doorway. There was something about this man that screamed alpha dog. I have seen many a alpha male and they never fit well with me even if this one was a hottie. I couldn't stand the domineering quality that rolled off some men in waves.

"Hey baby, you think you can get us some grub, please?" My thoughts were interrupted. The voice came from the 'caveman' and my heart dropped just a bit. His question was directed towards the woman behind the counter. It was always the good looking ones that were taken.

"Sure."

I shook my head and turned my attention back to my meal, planning on ignoring them until I could get the heck out of there. If I was being honest with myself I had to admit that I was glad I came into the diner. I got to get a closer look at some really nice cars, eat a decent meal, and get an eyeful of not one, but four delicious men. That is all it will ever be though. I never knew how to be let people in, so I always kept to myself. Many mistook my shyness for being a snob leaving me to be called a stuck up bitch or an Ice Queen in high school. Instantly my mood darkened as I brooded in my loneliness.

I was broken from my revere when I felt a presence next to me. I turned my head to see the 'player' of the men leaning on the counter next to me. He had a broad smile on a toothpick hanging out of the side of it. I could feel his eyes roam my body from head to toe.

"Excuse me Darlin', is this seat empty?" He asked pointing towards the seat next to me. 'What a cheese ball!' I thought to myself. I turned towards him fully, annoyed that I was yet again interrupted by the gaggle of men.

"Yes Darlin', but this seat will be too if you sit down." My words covered in sickeningly sweet honey.

The smile on his face broadens until he actually comprehends my words and his face falls. There were snickers coming from everyone while he just stood there completely shocked that anyone would turn him down.

"Leon leave her alone I don't want you scaring her off." The woman says through a giggle.

"I think its more the other way around Mia" a deep rough voice comes from tall dark and handsome still at his post at the threshold. SAH-WOON! I think I fell in love right then and there. The sound of his voice causing my heart to race a bit while it rose into my throat.

"I-uh" I clear my throat trying to bring any sense back into me. "I better get going." I stand abruptly from the stool only to find myself way too close to the cheese ball still leaning on the counter next to me. I am too transfixed on how the toothpick in his mouth bobs as his smile broadens to notice that I have not moved away yet. In a flash I am on the other side of the stool pulling out a 20-dollar bill and placing it on the counter. "Thanks." I say to the woman before I spin around and scurry track out with my tail between my legs. I feel my face flush in embarrassment.

I can hear laughter erupt and some words are exchanged, but I am too off put to recognize any of it. I am only able to calm down when the diner is no longer in view and my Bronco is a good ways away. Normally, situations like that would not faze me. But for some reason those people affected me in such a way that for once in a long while I truly acted my age and ran away like a broken hearted teenager. I take a look at myself in the rearview mirror and and embarrassed once again. My face is redder than a cherry tomato and my eyes glassy as if I were going to cry. Those people at the diner probably thought I went crying home to mama in embarrassment.

I was blaming this whole predicament on all the new experiences and the carrying emotions running through me that got me acting a fool. The range of emotions that coursed through me in the last 24 hours had me mentally and emotionally exhausted. Once I find my home I'll be able to settle down and collect myself. Thank the gods that I will never see those people again cause I sure as hell won't be going back to that diner.


End file.
